


The Woman Soldier

by depressivesergeant, orphan_account



Category: Band of Brothers
Genre: Alternate Universe - Sex Swap(s), Butch/Femme, Canon Era, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Episode: s01e03 Carentan, F/F, Flirting, Friendship, Secret Identity
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-30
Updated: 2018-05-30
Packaged: 2020-09-26 13:09:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,112
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20390230
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/depressivesergeant/pseuds/depressivesergeant, https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: When Dick catches a ricocheted bullet in his ankle, he seeks Louise Nixon's aid at the Red Cross station, and reveals a secret.





	The Woman Soldier

The wound stings, but Diana clenches her jaw and keeps quiet all the way to the aid station. She doesn't need to draw attention to her and she also doesn't want any of it. Her mistake is her business, none else's. She walks into the aid station building, looking a bit around, curiously. It's just one of those old and shattered buildings that they think shelter in these days and finds herself on the door to nurse Nixon's makeshift office. She knocks on the door, although it isn't closed.

Louise is finishing up washing her hands when there's a knock on the door. "Come in!" she says, shutting off the sink and grabbing a towel, drying off her hands. It's been a long day, with all the wounded after Easy's latest push forward, and she's really looking forward to kicking back with a whiskey and falling asleep early tonight. She glances up to see Captain Winters limping into the room and rushes over.

"Sir? Are you injured? Sit down, why don't you, you look like a ghost." She puts a hand to the small of his back, guiding him to the nearest bench.

"Ow, no," Diana grunts a bit with her mouth shut, still clenching her jaw. She doesn't want to worry Louise with that. Besides, she really doesn't want her to notice the shiver she felt when the other young woman made her feel when she rested her soft hand on her. She wasn't even supposed to be here - that is, Diana herself, she couldn't really let out any more of her secrets, like how he liked women and how shook she could be when Louise touched her, not just because she's a woman, but because she's the prettiest one Diana has ever seen, "I'm...I'm alright, It's just a scrape," she sits down, biting her lips, "I just don't want to get it...ugh, infected, you know..."

Lou shakes her head, kneeling between Dick's legs and unlacing his boot, grimacing at the blood staining his sock. "Clearly, you've been injured," she comments lightly. Louise stands up, fetching a dish and forceps, and kneels again. She peels Dick's sock down gingerly, holding his foot steady as she works to get the bullet out. "First time you've caught one, huh? Lucky it's not worse."

Diana thinks, _yeah, but it's not that bad,_ but she just shrugs, stretching her toes as subtly as she can, watching and feeling Louise's caring for her wound, putting her hands over the desk she is on to not laugh at the tickling feeling she feels suddenly, in the middle of her foot. She nibbles her lower lip, "It was stupid..." she looks down, she didn't need to be there for so long, on that empty street. She sighs, "Not you," she blushes slightly.

Louise glances up at Dick. "Hm?" she asks, looking down at Dick's foot again. She manages to wiggle the bullet out, dropping it in the dish and taking a wet rag to the open wound, cleaning it. She notices now that Dick's foot is rather small, and mostly smooth where callouses from training and combat haven't taken hold. She shakes her head, letting his foot go and standing up to grab a roll of gauze and a medical pad. "You'll have to stay off of your feet, if you can," Lou says, wrapping the wound. She smiles up at Dick. "No unnecessary walking. It'll take a bit to heal."

Lou stands up again once she's done, letting Dick take care of his boot. "Keep that tied loosely," she adds, washing her hands again. Her knuckles are cracked from washing them so often, but it's no good to anyone if she walks around with blood on her hands. She glances back to Dick, thoughtful. It's the first time she's really talked to him, and she can't help but feel curious. "The men talk about you all the time," she says casually. "While I'm patching them up."

Diana watches Louise working in silence, trying to avoid make any noise; she doesn't like to show pain when so many of the men have it worse. When Louise is done, she puts her boots on, trying her best to not rub the wound much. It is already better, it doesn't sting as much, but the ache is still there, insisting, the flesh probably grieving the deeper cut into the skin. She puts the boots on and tries to keep the knots loose enough and looks up absently when the nurse turns around and tells her about the men's talking.  
She almost lets out a 'really?' but instead, she says, "I hope they don't call me a Quaker anymore," she smirks a bit, trying a bit of her humor on the caring nurse, just for the sake of it. She has no idea what to say about the men talking about her. If they trust her, she's grateful enough.

Louise smiles. "No, Bill Guarnere's stopped saying that since Brecourt." She tidies up, washing the forceps and dish and setting them aside. When she's run out things to do, she sits down at her desk, looking at Dick. "You're different," she says bluntly. "You're not like them. I see it too. But they look up to you, you know. From what I've heard, I can certainly see why." Louise smiles warmly, picking at the hem of her skirt.

"If you want to come around and have a drink sometime, I'd be happy to have some company," Louise says. She'd meant to say 'male company,' but she brushes the slip aside. Dick wouldn't notice. And anyway, there's nothing unusual about a man with small feet and a soft voice, she reasons. She'd just heard the mens' stories and conjured a different expectation in her mind.

What does Louise mean with "you're different" or "I see it too"? Diana tries to conceal her fear and suspiciousness by shaking her head slightly. An "I" is in her mouth, just dancing over her tongue when Louise invites her to come over for some kind of casual meeting. She blinks.  
"I don't drink," she says blankly, as the only and better excuse she could find to the "no" she can barely speak out because the young nurse seems rather genuine and Diana would love to be with her, talking and...All the things she imagines doing to and with her, if only Louise asks her to. But it isn't even the fact that Louise is the only woman around them, but because she's the only one that she thinks about lately. What she wishes to hear, her voice and her laughter. The way her dark locks shine when they are put down, free, like the hair of a princess.

Lou notices the fear that crosses Dick's face for a split second, but stays quiet. At his response she chuckles. "Of course you don't," she remarks lightly. "That's why Bill didn't trust you at first, then." She sighs. "Well, I've got a footlocker full of whiskey, but I'm sure I can scrounge something else up for you." She sits back, resting one leg over her other knee, pulling a pack of cigarettes from her pocket and lighting one up. She regards Dick cooly. "Unless you're not interested."

Diana smiles a bit, Louise is right, that was probably one of the whys, and she understands why Bill didn't trust her as much as in battle, knowing how religious-like she would look like for the whole company since she didn't drink nor smoke, or even talked to girls like a guy like any other. She feels a bit ashamed, but she notices Louise's dark pantyhose as she pulls a leg over the other. It feels like sneaking into someone else's universe, room without being invited. But she was kind of invited...to talk at least. "Oh, no," she hurries up to say, "I just don't know how a farm g—boy could entertain you, Nix."

Louise smiles, noticing Dick's slightly flushed cheeks. She takes a long draw off her cigarette and blows it to the side, away from Dick's face. "I'm sure you've got some redeeming qualities," she teases with a wink. She shifts her leg a bit, hiking her skirt up just an inch. "You should probably head out," Lou demurs. "Captains are busy men, aren't they, sir?"

Diana blushes slightly, trying to ignore how much she wants to bite her lower lip as Louise teases her (as him, of course). She pulls away from the table and tries to avoid stepping firmly with her foot. She grits her teeth but she barely lets out another sound, "They are, miss," Diana looks back at Nix smiling a bit, "Thank you."

Louise smiles warmly, watching the captain get to his feet, a blush on his cheeks. "Well, I'll see you tonight then?" She stands up, smoothing her skirt, and goes to Dick's side, offering a shoulder to lean on. "You stay off that ankle now," she warns. "I don't want to see you limping in here again, sir."

* * *

As Diana finishes looking after the men, she comes to Louise's makeshift aid station, feeling more anxious than she should be right now. She needs to be ready for tomorrow, not to waste her energy being anxious about something as simple as meeting a friend. She knocks on the door, crossing her arms, trying to not step with her hurt ankle. Diana can just hope Louise isn't thinking about something Diana cannot really give her.

Louise looks up from her book as there's a knock on the door. She smiles, dog-earing her page and setting the book aside, standing up and going to the door. She's just had a shower, and is dressed down for the night, in a white cotton nightgown, her hair let down. She answers the door, smiling as she sees it's Dick. "Thought you might not show," she admits, stepping back. "Come on in."

Diana looks up at Louise, turning from the spot she was rested against to on the wall, and her eyes and mouth go wide. How can Louise let herself so reckless and undressed like this, in this place, in war? Diana doesn't know if she comes inside and shuts the door or if she takes the door and pulls it shut, and pretend she had never seen Louise in a nightgown. She decides for the quietest decision and comes inside, closing the door in follow, quickly and instinctively. "Louise! What are you doing?" She pants, trying to avoid Louise with her eyes at all costs, "I know you, me, we trust the men, of course, but they are men nonetheless...I-I-I am a man."

Louise pouts at Dick's chastising, smoothing her hands down her thighs absently. She's had a nightcap already and feels warm, a little lightheaded. "I trust you," she says to Dick, looking up at him seriously. "It's late, anyway, I can be comfortable if I want." She huffs, turning to the kitchen and opening the ice box. "I found you something nice," Louise says, taking out two bottles and walking back to Dick. She offers him a Coke, still sealed. "Rare pickings in a war, but I have my charms." Lou winks.

"But it isn't safe, Lou," she replies, still not liking that. She doesn't like to reprimand Lou, she wants her friend to be free and do as she wishes to find comfort here, but that isn't a very reasonable way to do it. She doesn't say anything about Louise trusting her. She should not much, since Diana is literally deceiving her with her costume of a male captain. On the other hand, the Captain knows and is certain that she would never do anything bad to Louise, ever, every man or woman of Easy were family, and Louise more than any other.

"I hope you didn't tire yourself much for me," she says seriously but she smiles as Lou winks to her and Diana takes the coke.

Louise shrugs. "Is anything safe in this war?" She sits down on the couch by the blacked-out window, opening her whiskey and taking a sip straight from the bottle. It's unladylike, and her father's remarks run through her mind, but she has a feeling Dick won't mind. He's surrounded by randy young men all the time, anyway, and a messy woman is still a woman. She settles back against the cushions, watching Dick curiously. There's something different about him, and it nags at her. His shoulders seem rather narrow, his jaw not quite as sharp as it ought to be.

"Sit with me?" She offers, patting the cushion beside her hip.

"We don't need to make it further unsafe," Diana says but sighing, she walks to the couch and sits beside Lou. She's already here, and Diana doesn't want to make other people suspicious of them, so she decides for staying and play along - as much as she could anyway, if Louise wanted her as Dick, she wouldn't allow it to come any further in that way, she won't deceive Louise like this. She opens the Coke and takes a sip of it, humming a bit feeling the stronger taste on her tongue waking up clouded and old memories, sensitive ones, "Lou, have you ever thought about being a soldier?"

Louise smiles into her whiskey, taking another small sip. She's more than a little buzzed, and she has to admit she's felt lonely for long enough that Dick sitting beside her isn't unnoticed. If he wanted, he could hike her skirt up and touch her through her panties. She bites her lip, arranging her legs on the couch. At Dick's question she looks up. "Not really," she answers quietly. "I only volunteered for the Red Cross to get away from my father." She won't sugar coat it, after all, patriotism isn't something she particularly cares about.

Diana doesn't quite understand what was to feel in the need to run away from a parent, but she glances at Lou and nods anyway, taking a slow pull from the coke, thoughtfully. Whatever made Louise feel that way, probably was something bad enough for her to act like this, since Louise is actually so much braver than her smaller frame could lead to, and Diana is not someone to judge anyone as brave, as if she knew what it felt like to be on the other person's shoes.

"I hope it feels not so bad, then," Diana throws another glance at Louise, rubbing her face against her own shoulder. She's so cute, she thinks as see her giggling in that a little buzzed mood.

"I've got you, haven't I?" Louise asks, smiling warmly at Dick. "I've seen things I wish I could forget," she admits, "but I've also met people I never would have otherwise. So it's not all terrible." Lou takes another pull off her whiskey, savoring the smoky flavor, the way it burns down her throat.

She feels Dick rest his head on her shoulder and reaches up with a free hand, combing her fingers through his hair slowly. She feels a quiet longing deep inside of herself that she'd never felt before, but quickly dismisses the sentimentality. They're all lonely, in this war, and she's sure Dick has a girl of his own to go home to when it's over. When she returns home, she knows, she'll be expected to marry someone of her father's choosing, and the thought of being some wealthy man's trophy wife makes her feel ill.

"You must be tired," she says, still scratching gently at Dick's scalp.

Diana nods in agreement. War was a terrible thing to live through, worse even to witness, in her opinion; she knew that being tortured if captured, could maybe be equal to see other people, men being hurt, but she knew that "allowing" people to die on her watch was...uniquely bad, and added to her conscious another pain, of another nature than physical.

She stills, though, when Louise touches her head for the first time, but slowly, and trying to not call Louise's attention, she lets her head fall back gently on the other woman's shoulder.

"So tired I don't feel like sleeping, I'd say," she nips at her lower lip, "Louise, can I tell you a secret? Something I'd need you to never tell anyone else about?"

Louise sighs, beginning to feel tired with the whiskey warm in her stomach. She feels Dick relax into her touch and smiles, putting the bottle aside. She listens as Dick responds, frowning at his question.

"Of course," she says. "You can trust me."

Diana breathes deeply and lets her body go limp just in case Louise feels uncomfortable with what she has to say.

She looks at the ceiling.

"I'm not a man," she says quietly, "Not...really."

"Oh," Lou's eyes widen. "But- I mean, I had a feeling," she stammers. "But I don't think anyone else does." She'd stopped moving her hand, and she picks the motion up again, not wanting Dick to feel uncomfortable. She realizes that must not be his- her real name and looks over at the captain.

"What's your real name, then?" she asks, keeping her voice quiet. She doesn't imagine anyone would pry, but it's best not to draw attention to the conversation.

Diana is very nervous, so she barely realizes the motion on her hair stopping, she has a vague intuition that it did. She actually feels rather hot now, too hot, so she pulls away a little, feeling her pulse in her ears.

"It's...It's Diana," she says and unbuttons her jacket out of instinct, "I don't have a lot of chest or hip," she chuckles nervously as she pulls the undershirt up while a tighter white top tank is under it, "I couldn't stay home when everybody else...The men were going to war."

"Diana," Louise says, testing the name on her tongue. "It fits you." She moves her arm away as Diana unbuttons her jacket, showing Louise her underclothes and explaining.

"You must be terribly afraid," Louise murmurs, sympathetic. "Working as a nurse is frightening enough, I can't imagine serving on the front line, as a woman..." She touches Diana's knee, trying to offer a soothing touch.

Diana shakes her hands, frowning and pulling a little away and, then, she stands up:

"I'm one of the men now, I can't believe any of them doing anything bad to me," she has her jaw clenched, she knows she can be as vulnerable as any woman between men, but she isn't any woman, she was trained with those men, they had served with her, she had done anything she could to help them out under Sobel.

She nibbles her lower lip, looking away:

"I...they know better than this."

Louise frowns as Diana pulls away and stands. She seems tense- for obvious reasons- and Lou wishes there was something she could do to guarantee Diana's safety and comfort.

"Men are cruel," Lou says softly. She thinks about her father, her former fiancé, and sighs. She's seen far too much of it- cruelty- for herself, but it'll do no good to bring Diana down now.

"If you ever need to be with another woman..." Lou smiles. "I will be here."

_Not forever,_ Diana thinks, lifting her hands to her mouth.

"To be honest, I never lingered much on the thought if they found, you know?" She breathes deeply and relaxing her shoulders, she looks back at Louise, "It's ok, I'll manage, Lou, I had always had."

She knows that she doesn't trust on her words completely, that she trusts on her words, because God has saved her so many times, but she also knows that she can't count that every man will be as respectful, not replacements, not men like Sobel.

"Yeah," Lou smiles faintly. "I'm sure you will." Diana is the bravest woman she's ever met- she doesn't doubt the woman's tenacity a bit. But she worries about the war getting worse, or Diana being captured by the enemy. 

She looks over at Louise with a shy expression, her arms bracing her chest. "I'm sorry to not be a sheik—a charming man.”

"You certainly aren't a man. Still plenty handsome, though." Louise smirks, looking up at Diana through her eyelashes.

"I went to an all-girl's boarding school. There were plenty of...rebellious women, there. I learned a thing or two." She rests her hands on her thighs, her fingers teasing the hem of her nightgown.

"Louise!" Diana lets out almost in a hiss, but quieter, her back bent forward "what are you doing?" she has her eyes wide but she still looks at Louise's fingers and nips at her own lower lip, "I...I have never done anything like this, at all."

"I'll stop if you want," Louise says, smoothing her palms over her thighs. "But Captain Winters, I've had my eye on you for a while, man or not."

Diana feels conflicted by the idea of the two of them together, oddly enough more because Louise used to know her as Dick than because they were two women who supposedly never did anything alike with each other.

"Lou, I'm not a..." She looks away, "It may sound corny, but I don't like to do things like this out of instinct, only." And she hopes Louise to not laugh at her, while she thinks it might happen anyway and she is kind prepared for this.

"Out of instinct?" Louise asks, raising an eyebrow. "Are you calling me a whore? I don't just fuck anyone I like the look of, you know," she growls, reaching for her whiskey and downing the rest of it.

"I know what they like to say about me, but it isn't true." Louise says, sighing. "It isn't."

Diana's mouth goes agape because she had never thought _that_ of Louise. She hadn't meant that at all with what she had said, but maybe it had sounded bad anyway.

"No, no," Diana says, sitting across from Louise, "It isn't...that. Oh, for crying out loud, no, Lou. What I meant was," she rubs her forehead thoughtfully, trying to be more clear about what she _did_ mean, "I meant that I don't like to do it without having feelings, real feelings involved."

Lou frowns, looking down at the floor. She feels warm, her heart pounding hard in her chest from the anger she'd just let wash over her, and she swallows hard.

"I'm sorry," she says. "I know...I know that isn't what you meant." Louise sniffles, rubbing her eyes as she feels tears threatening to spill over. "Sorry, Di, it was a lot to ask of you. I'm just so lonely here."

"No," Diana says a little exasperated, taking Louise's hand swiftly within her palm, "No, that's...not what I meant, either," she approaches, slowly her face to Louise's hand and kisses her knuckles softly, "I mean that whatever can happen between us, it won't mean nothing to me, it will mean something."

Louise shakes her head in disbelief, wiping her eyes as the tears spill free. "I'm really drunk," she says tearfully. "You're probably not- not like me. I've been a bad influence. I'm sorry." She pulls away from Diana, moving to stand up and smoothing down her nightgown. "You should...you should go." Louise swallows hard, trying to stop crying. She's not even sure why she's so upset, really- it's not anything Diana did. She turns away from Diana, suppressing a sob.

Diana frowns, blinking. She doesn't know how to react, or what is happening. 

Then she feels like she does.

"No, you aren't," Diana stands up without walking closer to Louise, she doesn't want to surpass the other woman's boundaries, "I'm...I don't think I'm like other girls, I mean it's just...for them is so easy to conform. It's...I think if you're wrong, I am too."

She looks up to Louise after looking down as she was thinking about it.

"I'm going if that's what you want, but if you want me to stay, even only for company, I'll stay."

Louise hears Diana standing up, the floorboards creaking softly under her boots. She expects Diana to leave, but is surprised when the taller woman speaks, saying she won't leave unless Lou wants her to.

Louise shakes her head. "You've been sheltered," she murmurs. "I see it in your eyes- I wish I could go back to those days." She takes a deep breath, turning to face Diana again, not bothering to wipe the tears from her cheeks.

"I don't want you to leave, Diana."


End file.
